VIN + OMI COLLAB WITH KING CHARLES FROM WASTE AROUND ROYAL ESTATES
By: Hillary LeBlanc
Influencing global trends for decades, British fashion has been recognized for its blend of classic styles, innovative designs and a strong connection to the streets of London. UK fashion designers are expected to deliver high-quality work and craftsmanship, reflecting the high degree of integrity connected to the historical importance of fashion. In recent years, fashion in the UK has turned to place more focus on sustainable efforts.
VIN + OMI, a namesake label by two British fashion designers have worked alongside top tier designers on varying renewable projects. With a tagline claiming ‘we are not just a fashion label, we are an ideology,’ the pair realized they wanted to make the fashion world a better and more environmentally friendly place.
In 2001, they both developed garments for brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior and Marc Jacobs while developing a sustainable handbag capsule for major retailer Selfridges. In 2002 and 2003, they conducted research and found tech companies to work with before finally launching VIN + OMI in 2004. Since then they have gone on to create textiles, conduct clean up projects of vast communities, and created ready to wear lines while having works commissioned for high-profile clients like Michelle Obama.
Possibly the most notable client they have had to date is King Charles. Vin and Omi chose to look into the waste produced by the King’s Highgrove Estate. The pair took nettles that were going to be thrown away from the King’s garden and turned them into 12 garments. This was the start of a now 6 year long collaboration. In 2021, The King suggested that VIN + OMI explore the possibilities of utilising bog cotton in textile. A few months later, VIN + OMI showcased their Future Flowers collection, which included two dresses made from bog cotton in a groundbreaking new textile development.
Source - Instagram
In Feb 2022 VIN + OMI showcased their ART collection, which included new work with cellulose material from Highgrove to produce a new cellulose yarn, which was woven into a textile dress. In 2023, the project focused on King Charles’ Sandringham Estate. Working with Head Gardener Jack Lindfield, they explored the availability of waste materials from the estate. That year, VIN + OMI unveiled the world’s first dress made out of Butterbur, a plant growing on the side of the lake at Sandringham. The large leafed plant is a prolific grower and is classed as an invasive weed in Asia. The show also featured nettle and cellulose textiles made from the Sandringham Estate waste. Jewellery was made from plastic from reformed waste plant trays.
Most recently, the pair and King Charles have decided to collaborate in efforts to turn milk cartons into leather. While sitting in the canteen at Sandringham discussing the silk scarves they made to honor the queen, they realized how many cartons of milk the establishment must go through for the amount of tea consumed. On average people drink 1,238 milliliters of milk in the UK per week. Cartons were saved from being sent to the dump and are turned into a spongy like leather. This project is ongoing and to date has 376 students from 5 UK universities attached to it.
VIN + OMI call themselves Ideologists. They have received a NESTA award for their innovation in design, research and unique business model. VIN + OMI were one of the first companies to use a detailed carbon offset programme, which they still use today. Since 2004 VIN + OMI have developed 32 unique to market textiles focusing on the best way, the right way, based on sustainable, eco-processes. Textiles include unique rPET and hybrids that are made via our ocean and river waste plastic collection schemes that are in operation in the most needed parts of the world. They’ve also created a latex fabric from their own eco latex planation in Malaysia, 4 types of mushroom leather from fine to coarse, upholstery grade, a chestnut leather made from the outer skins of the chestnut and horse chestnut, and grow their own flax in the U Kin 3 grades of weave, tight, medium and loose.
VIN + OMI’s clean up projects are in India, the Yangzi , Huai and Yellow Rivers rivers in China and in Brazil. For these countries they developed schematics to remove pollution from waterways where garbage was being dumped. Their social impact also includes planting UK miscanthus fields for their own harvesting and producing 8000 masks during covid for the UK National Health Service.
The duo have a manifesto, which includes only working with people who support their core values or companies that want to change for the benefit of the planet. The manifesto also shares that the core of their business model is empathy and that they won’t create fashion simply for profit or greed and that their model is circular. It is clear that through honouring this manifesto, and not compromising on their beliefs, both Vin and Omi have positively impacted the fashion community in ways unfathomable.
Cover Image: Mark Stuckey / @m_stuckey